


The Art of Waiting

by Termites



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-21
Updated: 2013-02-21
Packaged: 2017-12-03 03:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/693712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Termites/pseuds/Termites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Time was the dilemma. He had to be at the corridor by the Great Hall five minutes before noon, before all the students come marching in, so he could focus on his subject. His prey. </p>
<p>"Damnit. How am I supposed to leave without McGonagall seeing?</p>
<p>Draco smirked. </p>
<p>"She didn’t need to not see me."</p>
<p>A plan was falling into place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Art of Waiting

**Author's Note:**

> Oh heyy. Hi. Um, this was written eons ago (like two years ago) on ff.net, but I took it down because of reasons. Anyway, I'm reposting it here, unedited and untouched from when I last saw it. I apologize for this (but this is my first ever fic, so it's my baby and I'm proud of it).

“Mr. Malfoy, eyes in front!” Draco took his eyes off the clock and turned to smirk at the glaring professor.

“10 points from Slytherin”

Draco zoned out of Transfiguration as soon as Professor McGonagall opened her mouth. It was a quarter to noon. Not counting the minutes McGonagall would probably extend. He sighed. Time was the dilemma. He had to be at the corridor by the Great Hall five minutes before noon, before all the students come marching in, so he could focus on his subject. His _prey_. _Damnit. How am I supposed to leave without McGonagall seeing?_ Draco smirked. _She didn’t need to not see me._

A plan was falling into place.

He turned his head towards the Gryffindors, looking for something to start with. He spotted Neville staring mouth agape at McGonagall. _Perfect_ , he thought. Draco waited. Neville continued to ogle. When he decided that he’d waited long enough, Draco executed his plan.

“What’s wrong, Longarse?” Draco said, mock pity dripping from his voice. He decided to start off with something simple “Cat got your tongue?”

Chuckles rose from the students. The professor turned to the sounds. Glaring at the smirking blond, she snapped, “That’s enough Mr. Malfoy. Do not disrupt my class.”

“Aw, Longarse is hiding behind his mummy. Wait, I forgot!” Draco said, feigning surprise, his face displaying a mocking smirk. “He doesn’t have a mummy.” Gasps erupted from both the Slytherin and Gryffindor students. “His mummy’s gone all cuckoo. Poor little Longarse.”

All Gryffindors and Slytherins were in a state of shock.  No one has ever gone insulting Neville _that_ far before. Mocking him about his _parents_? All of them thought the same thing: _Draco was feeling extremely heartless today._

Draco was shocked himself. He thought it, but he wouldn’t have said it. _Shit_ , he thought. _Shit, shit, shit!_ How could he have said that? Contrary to popular belief, Draco _did_ have a heart, though he just didn’t show it. He felt guilty to the bone when he saw Neville’s quivering lip and wet eyes as Neville ran and left the room. _Okay, I’ve got to think positive. This would help me reach my goal. If this won’t make me succeed, I don’t know what the bloody hell would._

“MR. MALFOY! How dare you do this to Mr. Longbottom! 60 points from Slytherin! And detention with Professor Flitwick!”

_DAMNIT! It didn’t fucking work!_ Draco started to panic. His brain was on overdrive. It was 8 minutes to noon. He only had three minutes to get kicked out of class by McGonagall and to sprint to the Great Hall. His body seemed to move on its own account at this point. He took a piece of parchment, crumpled it in his hand, and threw it to Merlin knows where. Draco looked up, checking to see to whom he threw the paper to. _Shit_.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

The crumpled ball of paper flew in the air over the heads of Slytherins and Gryffindors. Audible gasps were uttered by the students who saw and from Draco himself.  The ball seemed to fly towards a white mass of hair. Hearing the gasps, McGonagall turned to look at her students to ask what all the commotion was about. The ball hit McGonagall square on the face. The room became as silent as a grave.

Draco took advantage of the situation. He stood up, squared his shoulders, cleared his voice and channelled all his Malfoy pride to his face through a smirk.

”That’s for giving me detention,” he sneered at the enraged professor. There wasn’t a single rustle of papers, not a single sound. In the silent classroom, Draco’s calm bored voice was as clear as a bell. No doubt, McGonagall heard him. A mask of shock was displayed on the face of every single person in the room. The students watched in fascination and fear as their professor’s face turned from a bright red to a furious shade of purple. _This will definitely do_ , Draco thought.

“MR. MALFOY, LEAVE THIS CLASS AT ONCE! You are to be called to my office during lunch, and we shall discuss your punishment! Now get out!” Everyone looked at him with a certain emotion, Slytherins slightly smug but sympathizing and Gryffindors just plain agitated.

That was his queue. At once he fled the Transfiguration classroom and sped through hallways leading to the Great Hall. People roaming the halls shot him odd looks. He didn’t care. He needed to be there in time. He’d been waiting for this for six years. Not that he wouldn’t have done it in the past years, but it just so happens that Pothead and Weasel _always_ prevented him from achieving his goals; there was also the thing with You-know-who. He only had one chance. One shot. This opportunity won’t present itself ever again. And so he ran. He raced through the corridors with that in mind.

At last, he was there. Right on schedule. Panting, he started pacing the empty corridor coming up with his script for his encounter with his target. Everything was set.

When the clock chimed twelve, the students started pouring in. He started searching for his target, turning his head and craning his neck to see at least a glimpse of his prey. _There you are, Granger_ , he thought when he spotted a familiar head of brown hair. Time to execute his plan.

Thankfully, she was alone. _Thank Merlin those dammed Potter and Weasel didn’t come back for their last year,_ Draco thought. Hermione came into full view, and Draco followed her in a faster pace. He nudged her with his elbow, “accidentally” hitting her own.

“I’m sor-” Hermione started, but was cut short.

“Sorry to hit you on your birthday, mudblood,” Malfoy smirked.

 Hermione, shocked to hear _his_ voice _apologizing,_ stopped walking and turned to look at Draco. “Did you just say sorry?”

“Well it _is_ your birthday, Granger.” _How did he-_

 Hermione processed this for a minute. “How did you know it was my birthday?” She asked, her brown eyes narrowing, but with a twinkle and a slight curve tugging at the edges of her lips.

He saw the smile. He _liked_ the smile, but he had to stop the smile. Draco’s smile faltered for a second. He knew he would regret the next part of his plan. With an inaudible sigh, he started.

 “I could never I forget the worst day of purebloods, the day you polluted the wizarding world, the day you-” Draco was cut off by a pang of pain on his face. She curtly turned her head away and walked to Ginny Weasly. She spotted her best friend, her fiery hair standing out from the crowd.

“There you are! I was looking all over for you and I-” Ginny stopped in her tracks as she noticed something. “Hermione, why do you look so happy? Did my brother send you anything _special_ for your birthday?” Ginny asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Hermione, in fact, _did_ look happy. She was blushing as she made her way to the redhead. Her brown doe eyes twinkled as she retreated from the crowd.

“Oh shut it, Ginny.” Hermione’s smile widened. Draco remembered. He _remembered._ She sighed a contented sigh, took Ginny’s arm and towed her to the Great Hall. Hermione was barely listening to the plans of Ginny about going to Hogsmede. Her mind was quite occupied. _He remembered._

Draco put his hand on his check. _Bloody Merlin, that hurt!_ But hell it was worth it. That _smile_ was worth it. It was worth it to get some Slytherin points removed. They were going to lose anyway. It was worth getting detention and worth having whatever punishment that old hag McGonagall was going to give him. _Hmm. I have to find a way out of this._ But whether he gets out of it or not, it was still worth it.


End file.
